1/13/2020 How to Calculate the Velocity of Water Through Pipes

How to Calculate the Velocity of Water

Through Pipes

•••

Updated April 27, 2018 By Chris Deziel

Physicists and engineers use Poiseuille's law to predict the velocity of water through a
pipe. This relationship is based on the assumption that the flow is laminar, which is an
idealization that's more applicable to small capillaries than to water pipes. Turbulence is
almost always a factor in larger pipes, as is friction caused by the interaction of the fluid
with the pipe walls. These factors are difficult to quantify, especially turbulence, and
Poiseuille's law doesn't always give an accurate approximation. However, if you maintain
constant pressure, this law can give you a good idea of how flow rate differs when you
change the pipe dimensions.

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

Poiseuille's Law states that flow rate F is given by F = π(P1-P2)r4 ÷ 8ηL, where r is the
pipe radius, L is the pipe length, η is the fluid viscosity and P1-P2 is the pressure
difference from one end of the pipe to the other.
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Statement of Poiseuille's Law

Poiseuille's law is sometimes referred to as the Hagen-Poiseuille law, because it was
developed by a pair of researchers, French physicist Jean Leonard Marie Poiseuille and
German hydraulics engineer Gotthilf Hagen, in the 1800s. According to this law, the flow
rate (F) through a pipe of length L and radius r is given by:

F = π(P1-P2)r4 ÷ 8ηL

where P1-P2 is the pressure difference between the ends of the pipe and η is the
viscosity of the fluid.

You can derive a related quantity, the resistance to flow (R), by inverting this ratio:

R = 1 ÷ F = 8ηL ÷ π(P1-P2)r4

As long as the temperature doesn't change, the viscosity of water remains constant, and
if you are considering flow rate in a water system under fixed pressure and constant pipe
length, you can rewrite Poiseuille's law as:

F = Kr4, where K is a constant.

Comparing Flow Rates

If you maintain a water system at constant pressure, you can calculate a value for the
constant K after looking up the viscosity of water at the ambient temperature and
expressing it in units compatible with your measurements. By maintaining the length of
the pipe constant, you now have a proportionality between the fourth power of the
radius and flow rate, and you can calculate how the rate will change when you change the
radius. It's also possible to maintain the radius constant and vary the pipe length,
although this would require a different constant. Comparing predicted to measured
values of flow rate tells you how much turbulence and friction affect the results, and you
can factor this information into your predictive calculations to make them more
accurate.

References

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1/13/2020 How to Calculate the Velocity of Water Through Pipes

Updated March 13, 2018 By Angel Coswell

Gravitational flow rate is calculated using Manning’s Equation, which applies to the
uniform flow rate in an open channel system that is not affected by pressure. A few
examples of open channel systems include streams, rivers and man-made open channels
such as pipes. Flow rate is dependent on the area of the channel and velocity of the flow.
If there is a change in slope or if there is a bend in the channel, the depth of water will
change, which will affect the velocity of the flow.

Write down the equation for calculating volumetric flow rate Q due to gravity: Q = A x V,
where A is the cross-sectional area of flow perpendicular to the flow direction and V is
the cross-sectional average velocity of the flow.

Using a calculator, determine the cross-sectional area A of the open channel system you
are working with. For instance, if you are trying to find the cross-sectional area of a
circular pipe, the equation would be A = (? ÷ 4) x D², where D is the inside diameter of the
pipe. If the diameter of the pipe is D = .5 feet, then the cross-sectional area A = .785 x (0.5
ft)² = 0.196 ft².

Write down the formula for the average velocity V of the cross section: V = (k ÷ n) x Rh
^2/3 x S^1/2, were n is the Manning roughness coefficient or empirical constant, Rh is
the hydraulic radius, S is the bottom slope of channel and k is a conversion constant,
which is dependent on the type of unit system you are using. If you are using U.S.
customary units, k = 1.486 and for SI units 1.0. In order to solve this equation, you will
need to calculate the hydraulic radius and the slope of the open channel.

Calculate the hydraulic radius Rh of the open channel using the following formula Rh = A
÷ P, where A is the cross-sectional area of flow and P is the wetted perimeter. If you are
calculating the Rh for a circular pipe, then A will equal ? x (radius of the pipe)² and P will
equal 2 x ? x radius of the pipe. For example, if your pipe has an area A of 0.196 ft². and a
perimeter of P = 2 x ? x .25 ft = 1.57 ft, than the hydraulic radius is equal to Rh = A ÷ P =
0.196 ft² ÷ 1.57 ft = .125 ft.

Calculate the bottom slope S of the channel using S = hf/L, or by using the algebraic
formula slope = rise divided by run, by picturing the pipe as being a line on an x-y grid.
The rise is determined by the change in the vertical distance y and the run can be
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determined as the change in the horizontal distance x. For instance, you found the
change in y = 6 feet and the change in x = 2 feet, so slope S = ?y ÷ ?x = 6 ft ÷ 2 ft = 3.

Determine the value of Manning’s roughness coefficient n for the area you are working
in, keeping in mind that this value is area-dependent and can vary throughout your
system. The selection of the value can greatly affect the computational result, so it is
often chosen from a table of set constants, but can be back calculated from field
measurements. For example, you found the Manning coefficient of a fully coated metal
pipe to be 0.024 s/(m^1/3) from the Hydraulic Roughness Table.

Calculate the value of the average velocity V of the flow by plugging in the values you
determined for n, S and Rh into V = (k ÷ n) x Rh ^2/3 x S^1/2. For instance, if we found S =
3, Rh = .125 ft, n = 0.024 and k = 1.486, then V will equal (1.486 ÷ 0.024s/(ft^1/3)) x (.125
ft^2/3) x (3^1/2) = 26.81 ft/s.

Calculating the volumetric flow rate Q due to gravity: Q = A x V. If A = 0.196 ft² and V =
26.81 ft/s, then the gravitational flow rate Q = A x V = 0.196 ft² x 26.81 ft/s = 5.26 ft³/s of
volumetric water flow rate passing through the stretch of channel.

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